Opening the Door: Architecting is a Verb

As it turns out, the word “architect” can be used as a verb . . . an idea that makes my father, a lifelong editor, shudder. However, hanging around web designers for the past week has opened my eyes to the possible uses of the word. And architecting is exactly what goes on around here.

This is just one of the many things I have discovered upon starting here at customedialabs. Coming from a background of politics, working in customedialabs’ European headquarters is a bit like looking into a fish bowl. I can see all the fish swimming around but I can’t really tell what they are thinking or discussing. I’m positive that if I could speak Greek fluently I still wouldn’t fully grasp the conversations. Although foreign, in more ways than one, customedialabs is revealing itself one day at a time.

After conversing with the heads of each lab, the picture of what the teams create here is starting to take shape. What is so impressive is the amount of thought and design that go into every project here. Could web designers make it easy and use cookie-cutter templates and formulaic architecture? Of course, but then we might be required to stop using the word “innovative” and we can’t do that because we actually have a Head of Innovation! Every team member here talks excitedly about the continual process of mastering new technologies and digital advances. The tech lab is in a constant state of evolution.

Staying on the front edge of technological advancement not only helps keep customedialabs ahead today but it gives our products a huge advantage in the future. As the Head of Backend Development discussed with me, the backend design of the websites created here are architected with an eye to what can be added down the road depending on the changing needs of the clients. This could include a number of developments, for example, new adaptations and expansions. Because the designs are intended to accommodate future needs, the tech team must be able to foresee the direction that design technologies, as well as the clients, may take in the coming months. This requires the team to stay on the front edge of the evolution which is one aspect of their mission that everybody I talk to loves!

So, although I am adding “architect” as a new verb to my lexicon, the one word I will probably have to eliminate is “static” . . . because customedialabs is anything but.